Beyond

for 40 channel geodesic sphere • 2014

OVERVIEW • RESEARCH • DEVELOPMENT • DOCUMENTATION: white | willow | fire • AUDIO

AUDIO

This page contains documentation of the audio compositions presented over the Beyond structure.

as binaural renderings (on this page)
as ambisonic simulation (constructed in MaxMSP)

A touchscreen was provided in each sphere, presenting eight audio scenes from which a visitor could choose ( a pre-mixed version was presented without the touchscreen where security at a given location represented a concern). The scenes were chosen such that they would complement the materials of the geodesic sphere thematically, or the context in which they were presented:

Beyond: White contained sound materials alluding to water and organic sounds (in keeping with its visual associations with the 'viral');
Beyond: Fire contained sound materials alluding to fire;
Beyond: Willow contained natural environments that, played in the outdoor spaces, would lead at times to a sense of source ambiguity (i.e. whether some sounds originated from recorded materials presented over the speakers (hearing the real thing) or came from beyond the speakers (i.e. really hearing the thing) (Batchelor 2007)

Once initiated, scenes played on loop until further scenes were triggered.

BINAURAL RENDERINGS

Tumbling Wood
a musico-spatial exploration of wood sounds and gestures, distributed around the surface of the sphere.

Bubbles
a musico-spatial exploration of bubble sounds, distributed around the surface of the sphere.

Wind to Fire
presents the spatialised sense of wind in trees, with rustling gestures of paper. A granular texture emerges consisting of spitting frying pan and cracking twigs, which becomes increasingly aggressive before receding into a bonfire. This composition explores transformation between scenes using spectrally/behaviourally similar sound materials, which in turns invites consideration of enclosure/transparency of the sphere and inside/outside regarding the origin of the sounds.

Devon Stream and Birdsong
presents a rural scene involving a stream in the lower speakers of the sphere, with birdsong in the upper. Sheep and a pheasant can occasionally be heard.

Corrugated Iron
presents the spatialised sound of rain on a corrugated iron roof (presented on the upper part of the sphere) with dribbling water towards the floor. This is followed by furtive gestures (creaking and fumbling) across the lower half of the sphere, increasing in frequency until they break into a more granular texture. This composition seeks to explore enclosure vs transparency of the sphere, inside and outside regarding the origins of the sounds, and real-world vs ‘composed’ sonic constructions.

Rain with Distant Thunder
presents subtle pattering rain sounds (indistinguishable from real rain sounds on the tupperware speaker enclosures), interspersed with periodic rolling thunder in the upper speakers.

Cicadas
presents a largely horizontal rendering of cicadas; there is limited activity from the top and bottom of the sphere, except at one point where an aircraft flies overhead. The presented scene is probably ecologically questionable, since I mixed cicadas and crickets from different field recordings; nevertheless, it presents a convincing-enough image, and the aircraft does produce inside-outside ambiguity regarding the origin of the sound.

Peter Batchelor: composer, sound designer

Beyond

AUDIO

BINAURAL RENDERINGS